Cancer to kill 9.6 million people in 2018, says WHO report

Some 9.6 million people will die of cancer in 2018, according to a report of the Global Cancer Statistics 2018 released on Wednesday by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

IARC is part of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The number of people around the world, who have cancer is growing rapidly, with 18.1 million new cases, the report said.

Cancers of the lung, female breast, and colorectum are the top three cancers in terms of incidence and are ranked within the top five in terms of mortality.

The three cancers are together responsible for one-third of the cancer incidence and mortality burden worldwide, the WHO report warned.

Worldwide, the total number of people who are alive within five years of a cancer diagnosis, called the five-year prevalence, is estimated to be 43.8 million.

Together, these three cancer types were responsible for one-third of the cancer cases and mortality burden worldwide.

Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men, accounting for 14.5 percent of the total cases in men and 8.4 percent in women, and the leading cause of cancer death in men.

It’s also the leading cause of cancer death in women in 28 countries, with the highest incidence rates in women seen in North America, Northern and Western Europe, China, and Australia and New Zealand.

The increasing cancer burden globally is due to several factors, including population growth and ageing as well as the changing prevalence of certain causes of cancer linked to social and economic development, the report concludes.